The invention relates to components used in turbine engines. More particularly, the invention is directed to methods for forming a turbine engine component that has a textured surface to enhance the heat transfer characteristics of the component.
Various techniques have been devised to maintain the temperature of turbine engine components below critical levels. As an example, coolant air from the engine compressor is often directed through the component, along one or more component surfaces. Such flow is understood in the art as xe2x80x9cbackside air flow,xe2x80x9d where coolant air is directed at a surface of an engine component that is not directly exposed to high temperature gases from combustion. In combination with backside air flow, turbulation has been used to enhance heat transfer. Turbulation has generally taken the form of protuberances or xe2x80x9cbumpsxe2x80x9d on selected sections of the surface of the component, which functions to increase the heat transfer with the use of a coolant medium that is passed along the surface. Turbulation is formed by one of several techniques, including wire spraying and casting.
While turbulation has been found to improve the heat transfer characteristics of the treated component, further heat transfer improvements are continually sought in the art, and improved techniques for treating components to have enhanced heat transfer characteristics are needed.
A method of forming a turbine engine component, includes providing a mold having a textured region, pouring a molten alloy into the mold, and cooling the molten alloy to form a turbine engine component, wherein the turbine engine component has an enhanced surface area region corresponding to the textured region of the mold, the enhanced surface area region comprising randomly arranged bumps.